Occasionally that portion of the hull of a boat which is under water will be breached by a submerged object and the boat may founder if no means is found to close the breach to permit the boat to reach a repair dock. Devices in the form of plugs which have various retention means have been known for closing of the these holes in hulls as illustrated, for example, in a U.S. patent to Korner, U.S. Pat. No. 1,676,395 (7-10-28) utilizing a steel dome mechanically retained, a U.S. patent to Etchelecou, U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,256 (10-15-74) utilizing an inflatable bag, and a Russian Pat. No. 600,026 (4-18-78) utilizing an expandable cone. However, it is frequently impossible to have access to a hull breach from the inside without destroying the interior furnishings. Also devices which are buoyant will not stay in place unless mechanically restrained.
The present invention is intended to be an improved device which can be conveniently stored and readily used to block hull holes either from the inside of the boat, when accessible from the inside, or from the outside when inaccessible from the inside. The device for plugging the breach is flexible to adapt to varying contours and has inflatable ribs which shape the device to an expanded state for use. The device can be stored in a relatively small package and carries a gas pressure cartridge which is used to expand the device for use.
Objects and features of the invention will be apparent in the following description and claims in which the invention is described and detail on the manner of making and using the invention are provided for persons skilled in the art.